Device for handling and measuring lard, &amp;c.



PATDNTED AUG. `25, 1903.

` J. P. NDDDLBS. DEVICE P0P. HANDLING AND MDASURING LAND, am.

APPLICATION FILED APB.. 9. 1903. NO MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented August 25, 1903.

JOEL F. NEEDLES, OF DAYTON, OHIO.

DEVICE FOR HANDLING AND MEASURING LARD, 80C.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 737,452, dated August25, 1903.

Application filed April 9, 1903. Serial No. 151,863. (No model.)

T0 all wwnt it 11i/ty concern:

Beit known that I, JOEL F. NEEDLES, a citizen of the United States,residing at Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, haveinvented a new and useful Device for Handling and Measuring Lard, dac.,of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to a device for handling and measuringlard andother materials.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction ofdevices for handling and measuring lard, butter, ice-cream, andanalogous goods or material and to provide a simple, inexpensive, andefficient device designed primarily for use in the retail trade for thesale of lard and adapted to enable the same to be quickly and accuratelymeasured without soiling the hands or the clothing.

.A further object of the invention is to provide a device of thischaracter adapted to be readily inserted in a mass of material andcapable of readily severing its contents from the mass and of expellingthe measured material and of automatically severing the same from thedevice, so that the entire contents of the latter Will be delivered intothe dish or other receptacle for the material.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in theconstruction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafterfully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointedout in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that variouschanges in the form, proportion, size, and minor details of constructionwithin the scope of the claims may be resorted to without departingfromthe spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a device constructedin accordance with this invention for handling and measuring lard andthe like. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional View of the same. Fig. 3 isa transverse sectional view on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4. is asimilar View on the line 4 4t.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all thefigures of the drawings.

l designates a cylindrical measuring-receptacle open at the outer endand provided thereat with a cutting edge 2 and secured at its innerclosed end 3 to a handle-frame composed of parallel sides 4 and a loopor handle 5, connecting the outer ends of the sides and formed integralwith the same. The sides ot' the handle-frame are connected bytransverse portions 6, forming guides t'or a plunger-rod 7 and supportsfor a combined guide and locking device 8. The transverse connectingportions 6 are provided with openings 9 for the reception ot theplunger-rod 7, and in practice the handle-frame, With its connecting orcross pieces, and the combined guide and locking device will consist ofa single casting; but it may be constructed in any desired manner and ofany suitable metal, as

Will be readily understood. The frame will in practice be made of Whitemetal, and the cylindrical measuring-receptacle and the head 10 of theplunger-rod will preferably be constructed of aluminium or some otherhard metal which will not corrode or Wear ot anddiscolorthelardorothermaterial. Theinner ends of the sides ofthehandle-frame are provided with lateral extensions or arms 11, Which aresecured to the outer face of the inner end ofthe measuring-receptacle,as clearly indicated in Fig. 3 ofthe drawings. The connectingcross-pieces 6, which are located approximately equidistant of the endsof the handle-frame, have their apertures 9 in registerwith acentralopening 12 of the inner end of the measuring-receptacle, and theplungerrod 7 extends through the openings of the cross-pieces 6 and theinner end of the measuring-receptacle, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. Theouter end of the plunger-rod is provided with a suitable handle or grip13, and the plunger-head or follower 10 is suitably secured to the innerend of the plunger-rod.

The cylindrical measuring-receptacle is provided at its outer end with acutting device consisting ot a diametrically-disposed erosspiece lll, ofwire or other suitable material, suitably connected at its ends to thesides of the measuring-receptacle at dametrically opposite points. Themeasu ring-receptacle,

which may bc constructed of any size to hold the desired weight of lardor other material, is plunged into the mass of lard to fill themeasuring-receptacle, and it is then rotated one-half a revolution tocause the cutting de- IOO .vice to sever the material within the recep-vtacle from the mass into which the device is inserted. The device isthen withdrawn, carrying with it the entire contents of themeasuringreceptacle. In practice it has been found by experience thatapound,two pounds, or other quantity of lard may be accurately measured,and the present device is designed to enable lard to be quickly andaccurately handled without soiling the hands or the clothing. Theplunger is actuated to expel the contents of the measuring-receptacle bymeans of a coiled spring 15, disposed on the plunger-rod and securedatits end 16 to the same and at its other end 17 to the inner end of themeasuring-receptacle, whereby when the plunger is drawn inwardpreparatory to inserting the measuring-receptacle into a mass of lardthe spring will be distended, as shown in Fig. 1. The spring when freeto act will force the plunger or follower outward and discharge thematerial, as will be readily understood.

The combined guide and locking device 8 consists of a short rod or bararranged parallel with one of the sides of the handle-frame and providedat its inner end adjacent to the inner cross-piece 6 with a notch orrecess 18, which forms a passage-way for an arm 19 of the rod of theplunger or follower. Preparatory to drawing the head of the plunger orfollower inward, as before explained, the

lplunger-rod is partially rotated to carry the arm from the positionindicated in dotted lines in Fig. 4 of the drawings across the framethrough the notch or recess 18. The plunger-rod is then drawn outward tomove measuring-receptacle, and it is locked in this position by engagingthe arm 18 with a shoulder 20 of the combined guide and locking device8. The shoulder 2O is preferably formed by notching the combined guideand locking device, and the arm 19 is adapted after the receptacle hasbeen removed from the mass of lard or other material and has been placedover a dish to be disengaged from the shoulder by partially rotating theplunger-rod. This may be effected by pressing slightly on the handle 13.The spring will then operate and move the head of the plunger orfollower outward automatically to expel the contents of themeasuring-receptacle, and when the head of the plate or follower reachesthe limit of its outward movement and bears against the cutting device14 the arm 19 will have arrived at the notch or recess 18, whereby thespring will be permitted to automatically rotate the plunger orfollower, and thereby cause the same to operate in conjunction with thecutting device and sever the material from the head of the plunger orfollower. It will thus be seen that the cutting device operates to severthe material from the mass and also to cut the same from the head of theplunger or follower. By this construction the entire contents of themeasuring-receptacle are removed from the mass of material and areexpelled subsequently from the meastiring-receptacle, thereby enablinglard and other material to be quickly and accurately handled withoutsoiling the hands of the operator or his clothing. In setting theplunger or follower the spring is distended and twisted, and it returnswhen released to itsinitial position, thereby first. reciprocating theplunger. or follower and then partially rotating the same to effect thedischarging and cutting operations.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesireto secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A device of the class described provided with a receptacle adapted tobe forced into a lmass of material and provided with a xed cuttingdevice operated by the rotation of the `receptacle to sever the materialwithin thereceptacle from the rest of the mass, and a rotary plungercoperating with the fixed cutting device, whereby the material isseparated from the plunger, substantially as described.

2. A device of the class described provided with an open-endedreceptacle adapted to be forced into a mass of material and provided atits outer end'with a fixed cutting device extending across the end ofthe receptacle, Vwhereby when the sameis rotated the mate- -rial withinthe receptacle will be severed from l.the rest of the mass, and a rotaryplunger operating within the receptacle and coperating with the fixedcutting device, whereby the material is separated from the plunger,substantially as described. the head or follower to the inner end of thef 3. A device of the class described compris- :ing a receptacle adaptedto be forced into a mass of material for removing a quantity of thesame, and means for expelling the material from the receptacle and forautomatically severing the said material from the device, substantiallyas described.

4. A device of the class described comprising a receptacle adapted to be`forced into a mass of material for removing a portion of the same, andmeans for automatically expelling the material from the receptacle andfor automatically severing the material from the device, substantiallyas described.

5. A device of the class described compris- `ing a receptacle providedwith a cutting device for severing its contents from the rest of themass, and means coperating with the cutting device for expelling thematerial from the receptacle and for automatically severing suchmaterial from the device, substantially as described.

6. A device of the class described comprising a receptacle, a cuttingdevice, a plunger, and means for reciprocating the plunger and forautomatically rotating the same against the cutting device,substantially as described.

7. A device of the class described comprising a receptacle provided witha cutting device, a plunger, a spring connected with the IOO IIO

plunger for reciprocating the same, said spring being arranged to betwisted for partially rotating the plunger against the cutting device,and means for guiding the plunger during its reciprocatiou and forreleasing the same at the end of such movement to permit the spring torotate the plunger, substantially as described.

8. A device of the class described comprising a receptacle provided witha cutter, a reciprocating plunger capable of rotation, a coiled springdisposed on and connected with the plunger to reciprocate and rotate thesame, and means for guiding the plunger, substantially as described.

9. A device of the class described comprising a receptacle having a ixedcutter, a frame connected with the receptacle and provided with ahandle, a rotary plunger guided on the frame and having a head arrangedwithin the receptacle, a coiled spring disposed on the plunger andconnected with the same for reciprocating and rotating the plunger, anda combined guide and locking device for holding and guiding the plunger,substantially as described.

10. A device of the class described comprising a receptacle, a cuttingdevice, a springactuated plunger having an arm, and a frame provided atone side with a combined guide andlocking device arranged to receive thearm, substantially as described.

1l. A device oi' the class described comprising a receptacle, aspring-actuated plunger having an arm, a frame provided with a combinedguide and locking device consisting of a rod having a notch to form apassage-way for the arm and provided with a shoulder for engaging thearm, and a cutting device cooperating with the plunger, substantially asdescribed.

12. A device of the class described comprising a receptacle, ahandle-frame connected with the receptacle and composed of oppositesides and connecting cross-pieces, a plunger guided in'the frame andprovided with an arm, and a rod mounted on the frame and forming acombined guide and locking device and provided with a recess to receivethe arm and having a shoulder for engaging the same, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

, JOEL F. NEEDLES.

Witnesses:

W. H. HosKo'r, GUS BECKER.

